The present invention relates to a method of producing filter-tipped cigarettes.
As described, for example, in British Patent no. 2,241,866, filter-tipped cigarettes are formed on a filter assembly machine, along a first portion of which each portion in a first succession of cigarette portions with a given spacing is joined, at a rolling station and by means of a strip connecting element, to a corresponding portion in a second succession of cigarette portions, to form a tobacco item hereinafter referred to as a "double cigarette". Each double cigarette consists of two cigarette portions separated by a double filter connected integral with the two cigarette portions by said connecting element, the central portion of which surrounds the double filter, and each end portion of which surrounds the end of a respective cigarette portion.
Again according to the above British patent, once formed, the double cigarettes are fed successively through a cutting station where they are cut transversely in half to form two successions of oppositely-oriented single cigarettes. That is, downstream from the cutting station, the cigarettes in each pair of cigarettes formed by cutting a respective double cigarette are arranged with the respective filters facing and substantially contacting each other.
According to the above British patent, the two successions of filter-tipped cigarettes are then fed to a turnover station Where each cigarette in one succession is turned over and fed into the space between two adjacent cigarettes in the other succession, to form a single succession of equioriented cigarettes, which are then fed to the output of the filter assembly machine and from there to the input of a packing machine.
It has recently been found necessary to connect the filter assembly machine to a packing assembly consisting of a double packing machine, i.e. with two packing lines, or of a pair of individual packing machines. In other words, the problem has arisen of connecting the filter assembly machine to a packing assembly presenting two inputs a given distance apart.
One possible solution would be to employ a two-line filter assembly machine of the type described in British Patent no. 2,201,576 and no. 2,202,127, but without the turnover station at the output, which forms the two lines into one. This, however, obviously poses the problem of devising a packing assembly with two inputs capable of receiving respective successions of oppositely-oriented cigarettes.
Recently, the above problem has been solved using a filter assembly machine whereby, as described in Italian Patent Application no. BO92A000311, two successions of oppositely-oriented cigarettes are fed to a turnover station where the cigarettes in one succession are turned over outwards by 180.degree. in relation to those in the other succession, to form two successions of equioriented, transversely-spaced cigarettes. On the above machine, the cigarettes in the first succession are turned over by means of a turnover unit comprising, for each cigarette, a respective turnover member for receiving and retaining a respective cigarette; and a drive unit common to all the turnover members and which provides for rotating each turnover member 180.degree. about its axis.
Though they do in fact provide for successfully supplying a packing assembly featuring two inputs a given distance apart, a major drawback of known filter assembly machines of the above type is the relatively high cost involved, mainly due to the large number of components and relatively complex design of the turnover unit.